Conventionally, there is known a plasma generation device that utilizes energy of an electromagnetic wave. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2007-113570 discloses an ignition device that constitutes a plasma generation device of this kind.
The ignition device disclosed by Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2007-113570 is provided in an internal combustion engine. The ignition device emits a microwave to a combustion chamber before or after ignition of fuel air mixture, thereby causing a plasma discharge. The ignition device generates local plasma using a discharge of an ignition plug so that the plasma is generated in a high pressure field, and grows the plasma by a microwave. The local plasma is generated at a discharge gap between a tip end part of an anode terminal and a ground terminal part.